


Pizza and Orange

by carpisuns



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Developing Friendships, Enemies to Friends, F/M, Lukanette, adrigami, adrimi, lukagami, mildly lol, romantic adrigami + platonic lukagami
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:01:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26891842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carpisuns/pseuds/carpisuns
Summary: Kagami is just trying to enjoy a pleasant date in the park with Adrien. Too bad Marinette had to bring a guitar-playing, blue-haired weirdo as a plus one.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Kagami Tsurugi, Luka Couffaine/Kagami Tsurugi, Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 11
Kudos: 91





	Pizza and Orange

**Author's Note:**

> My contribution to the beautiful [Kagami Tsurugi Zine!](https://kagamizine.tumblr.com/) You can download the entire zine for free [HERE](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aJfIwyavHpEYpdXzgmnhHw5GSEibHAiX/view).
> 
> Big thanks to Anto/[Masilvi](https://masilvi.tumblr.com/), who organized, designed, and compiled the zine.
> 
> And a huge shoutout to my amazing collab partner, JV/[15megapixels](https://15megapixels-mlb.tumblr.com/)!! She brainstormed ideas with me and helped me polish the piece and also did the incredible illustrations for it! You can see her art embedded in the fic and [HERE](https://15megapixels-mlb.tumblr.com/post/631191150115651584/15megapixels-here-are-my-pieces-for-the) on tumblr.

The afternoon sunlight made the pond shimmer in gold. Kagami breathed in the scent of blossoms and damp earth. Adrien’s hand was an anchor of warmth in hers.

“It’s beautiful,” she murmured.

“Yeah, it is.” Adrien raised his voice. “Thanks for the suggestion, Marinette! This place is amazing.”

In front of them, Marinette startled at the sound of her name. “Oh, uh, of course! My parents used to bring me to the Park Floral de Paris when I was little. It’s one of my favorite places!”

Adrien squeezed Kagami’s hand. “Pretty romantic, don’t you think?”

She smiled. Now that they had wandered off to the more secluded areas of the park, it _was_ romantic—full of shady walks lined with bright patches of flowers and hushed creeks that sounded like a lover’s whisper.

A chord rang out in the air.

Oh, and _that_.

“Did he really have to bring his guitar?” Kagami muttered.

Adrien glanced at her. “Uh, did you want to split up?”

“No, no. That’s okay.” After all, it was Marinette who had invited them. It would be rude to abandon their host. (Even if she had brought a blue-haired weirdo as a plus one.)

Kagami sighed. There was a time she thought of Marinette as strange. But if “Adrien’s quirky friend” could become a true friend, she guessed she ought to give Marinette’s weird boyfriend a chance too.

The music stopped. Luka pointed ahead. “Hey, look at that.”

Kagami squinted. “Are those … peacocks?”

“Looks like it!” Marinette said. “Come on, let’s get a closer look! I’ve been dying to design something peacock inspired. But … oh!” She turned back. “Adrien’s allergic to feathers.”

“Go on,” Adrien said. “I just won’t get too close.”

There were four peacocks wandering around the lawn, their brilliant blues and greens gleaming against the grass. Marinette snapped photos of their tail feathers with her phone while Luka strummed another tune.

Kagami and Adrien came as close as they could manage, but then Adrien sneezed and they fell back.

“Go ahead.” He sniffled. “I’ll stay behind.”

“I can see them fine from here. I’d rather stay with you.”

Adrien smiled with red-rimmed eyes. “Thanks. I’m really glad we got to come today.”

She stroked the back of his thumb with her hand. “Me too.”

“... kind of like Kagami,” Luka was saying.

Kagami’s head snapped up. She released Adrien’s hand and stepped closer. “What was that?”

“Oh, I was just saying that these peacocks remind me of you.”

She narrowed her eyes. “What does that mean?”

“You know, because they kind of … strut.”

“I do not _strut_.”

“Well, I mean—you know that phrase? ‘Proud as a peacock’? Like that. Prim and proper. Sort of stiff, I guess.”

Kagami raised a brow. “Just because I have good posture—”

“Uhhhh, I think what Luka _meant_ ,” said Marinette quickly, “is that peacocks are … majestic! And you have a very, um, _refined_ air about you.”

Luka’s eyes widened. “Oh, I didn’t—”

There was a sneeze behind them.

“Everything okay?” Adrien asked with a sniff.

“Yes!” Marinette said. “I’ve got all the photos I need, so …”

Luka fidgeted with his guitar strap. “Um, we should probably move on so Adrien is more comfortable.”

“I agree,” Kagami said coolly.

Adrien slipped his hand back into hers. “Let’s go.”

* * *

For the next half hour, they wound their way through the garden paths. Marinette led the way, snapping photos of various plants for design inspiration, with Luka close behind her. (To Kagami’s relief, his guitar was strapped to his back now.)

She and Adrien trailed behind, walking slowly with their arms linked together. It was nice to be out in nature for a change, especially with Adrien. Even though she studied with him a lot, it wasn’t quite the same.

As they rounded a bend, the distant sound of music drifted back to them.

“Wait,” Luka said. “I know that song.”

Marinette looked up from the flower she was examining. “Yeah, I think I do too. It sounds like …”

“‘I’ve Got Something to Say’!” Adrien chimed in.

Kagami frowned. “Well, say it, then. You don’t have to announce it.”

Marinette giggled. “No, that’s the name of the song!”

“Oh. Well, I’ve never heard it.”

“Jagged Stone,” Luka said.

“What’s that?”

Luka’s eyebrows disappeared under his blue fringe. “Seriously? You don’t know who Jagged Stone is?”

Kagami’s cheeks warmed. “I don’t know everyone in Paris, obviously.”

“Jagged Stone’s not just anyone. He’s one of the most famous singers in the world.”

“You’ve met him, remember?” Marinette tucked her phone into her bag. “His guitarist was akumatized into Desperada.”

“Oh. The man with the purple hair? And the crocodile?” Kagami’s brows furrowed. “He seemed quite … eccentric.”

Luka chuckled. “Well, that’s rock and roll for you.”

She eyed his dyed hair and painted fingernails. “If you say so.”

“Hey, you guys wanna check out the band?” Adrien asked.

Marinette beamed. “Yeah!”

“I don’t think Kagami would be interested,” Luka said. “We’d better sit this one out.”

Kagami clenched her teeth. It was awfully presumptuous of him to speak on her behalf. (Even if he was right.)

“Well, what about the mini golf course?” Marinette suggested. “All the holes are themed after different landmarks around Paris.”

“That sounds awesome!” Adrien said.

“Cool! Follow me.”

* * *

Kagami gripped her golf club and adjusted her footing. Her eyes followed the path from her golf ball to the part of the wall she would need to hit so it would bounce off and land in the hole behind the Notre Dame. If she angled it _just_ right …

She lifted her club. Then— _tap._

The ball rolled across the path and bounced off the wall, a few centimeters from where she was aiming.

“Nice shot, Kagami!” Adrien said.

She walked over to where her ball had stopped and nudged it in. “Not quite. I need to be more precise.”

“Watch out!”

A golf ball was flying toward them. Kagami flinched as it hit the Notre Dame and bounced away.

“Oops. Sorry!” Marinette sighed. “I’m such a klutz.”

Luka retrieved the ball. “Just relax. Loosen your shoulders.” He stepped behind Marinette, guiding her club with his hands. “Get a feel for the shot. And then … go!”

Together, they swung the club. The ball hit the wall and rolled to a stop several centimeters from the hole.

The sound of a bell rang out.

“ _My name is André! André! Glacier! The sweetheart matchmaker!_ ”

“Wow, I never expected to find Sweetheart’s Ice Cream here!” Marinette said.

“Maybe André knows the owners of the park.” Adrien turned to Kagami. “Up for an ice-cream break?”

Kagami fished her ball out of the hole. “You go ahead. I want to keep practicing.”

“Okay. Do you guys want to come?” Adrien asked.

“Sure!” Marinette said. “Let’s go, Luka.”

“I’ll keep Kagami company until you get back,” Luka said.

(As if she _needed_ his company.)

Marinette and Adrien set their clubs on a nearby bench and left.

Kagami marched off to the next hole and set her ball down. A careful visual calculation. A perfect stance. A few measured practice swings. And then—

“Not an ice-cream person, huh?” Luka asked.

Kagami startled. The ball bounced off the Panthéon at a wild angle and rolled to a stop.

“That doesn’t count! You distracted me.” She snatched the ball up and reset.

“Oh. Sorry.”

“It’s fine. Just let me concentrate.”

Kagami breathed in and hit the ball again. It stopped much too far from the target.

“Nice job,” said Luka.

Kagami let out a huff. “No, it wasn’t. Were you even watching?”

“It’s okay if it’s not perfect every time.”

“Well, I like to get things right.” She stalked over to her ball and tapped it in.

“Hey, don’t be such a perfectionist. You’re allowed to have fun, you know.” He gave a tiny, infuriating smile.

“I _am_ having fun.”

Luka took a breath. “Listen, I just wanted to say that I’m s—”

Someone laughed. She searched for the sound and saw Adrien and Marinette smiling at each other as André scooped their cones. Something in her stomach twisted.

“You know, I think I will join them after all.” She left her club next to theirs and ran over to the cart.

“Kagami! You’re just in time.” Adrien smiled and held out a cone.

They sat on a bench with Marinette and Luka. Kagami dug the little wooden spoon into the ice cream. It was cool and refreshing on her tongue.

“What flavors did you two get?” Adrien asked.

“Blackberry and vanilla,” Marinette said. “Yours is orange and mint, right?”

“Yep.” Adrien smiled at Kagami.

“That’s, um, a great combination!” Marinette said. “André really knows his stuff.”

Luka took a bite of ice cream. “I think it’s kind of strange, actually.”

“What’s strange?” Adrien asked.

“Orange and mint. In my experience, those flavors don’t go together at all.”

Kagami froze. “What do you mean?”

“Like when you brush your teeth and then drink orange juice. The taste is horrible.” Luka chuckled.

She gripped her spoon tighter.

 _Horrible_.

Just then, Kagami decided she’d had enough.

She leaned forward to look around Adrien at Luka. “What is your _problem_?”

He had the nerve to look surprised. “My … problem?”

“I came here to have a good time with my friends and you’ve been making snide remarks the whole time.”

Luka’s mouth made a little O. “I … I don’t ...”

“Well, you know what?” Kagami pushed herself off the bench. “I don’t care if you think that I strut like a peacock. Or that I’m too much of a perfectionist. Or that I’m lame for not listening to Jagged Rock.”

“Jagged Stone,” Adrien whispered.

“Whatever! It’s one thing for you to make comments about me. But now you’re insulting my relationship with Adrien? If you really think we’re wrong for each other, why don’t you stop sugar-coating it and just say it?”

Luka sat frozen on the bench, his mouth hanging open and his eyes wide, while Marinette glanced nervously between them.

“Well, guess what?” Kagami went on, her voice rising. “I don’t care if you think that Adrien and I aren’t a good match. I don’t believe in this magic ice-cream nonsense anyway. No one gets to decide if I’m right for Adrien but _us_. Certainly not some blue-haired rock-star wannabe who barely even knows me!”

Kagami was breathing hard, her hands clenched into fists. Her eyes were stinging, but she wasn’t going to cry. She never cried.

Especially not in front of Luka Couffaine.

Adrien stood and put his hand on her shoulder. “Kagami—”

She wrenched herself out of his grip and strode away.

“Wait!” Adrien called. He said something to Luka and Marinette that she couldn’t quite make out, and then she heard his footsteps hurrying to catch up with her.

She stopped in her tracks. “Can we go now? Please?”

“Yeah. I’ll call my bodyguard to come get us.” Adrien wrapped an arm around her while he made the call.

“You okay?” he whispered when he had hung up.

She swallowed the lump in her throat. “No.”

* * *

When Kagami reached her bedroom, she grabbed her fencing saber. Practicing always helped her clear her head.

She pulled out her phone to play her usual practice playlist, but she found herself searching for Jagged Stone instead. Her finger hovered over the list of songs— “Heart of Rock,” “Me and My Croc,” “My Favorite Pinstripe Trousers” …

She tapped on “Crocodile Tears.” The sound of a wailing guitar filled her bedroom as she picked up her sword and fell into her fencing stance.

 _Swish_. Luka didn’t know what he was talking about. _Swish_. And why should she care what he thought anyway? _Swish._ He was nothing but a rude, pretentious weirdo. _Swish_.

But for some reason, she felt something prickling in her stomach.

Maybe Luka wasn’t the only one who needed to apologize.

Kagami sank onto the edge of her bed as a soulful power ballad called “Daddy’s Little Fang” began. She pulled out her phone and typed in the search bar:

_How to apologize to someone_

She tapped a random result and scrolled down until something caught her eye.

_Write an apology letter._

At her desk, she pulled out a sheet of paper.

> _Dear Luka,_
> 
> _I apologize for my behavior at the park today. It was wrong of me to get so upset and to lash out. I hope you will forgive me._
> 
> _Sincerely,_
> 
> _Kagami Tsurugi_

Her pen hovered over her signature. Was it enough? It was so short. But was there anything else to say?

“Kagami!” A muffled voice came from the other side of her door, nearly drowned out by Jagged’s high-pitched screech.

She paused the music and went to open the door.

“What was that awful sound?” Mother demanded.

“It was … music.”

Mother scowled under her dark glasses. “That wasn’t music. If you are going to listen to something, it must be appropriate.”

“Yes, Mother.”

Mother turned around to leave, holding her cane aloft.

“Wait!”

Mother paused.

“May I borrow the car?”

“Why?”

Kagami looked at her shoes. “I offended someone today. I need to apologize.”

“Admitting a wrong is admitting weakness,” Mother said sternly. “You should have done it right the first time. You do not get a second chance.”

“But …” Kagami swallowed. “I believe in second chances.”

Mother arched a brow.

“Please. Let me make this right.”

Mother was silent for a moment. Then she sighed. “Very well. You have one hour.”

* * *

Kagami ran her thumb over the smooth envelope in her hands. The car was nearly at the Pont des Arts. Soon, she would reach the Couffaine’s boat.

Would he understand? Would it be enough?

She glanced out the tinted window. A bicycle was coming her way. Something was sticking out of the basket at the front. A guitar?

She rolled down the window to get a better look. She was close enough now to see the blue hair peeking out from under the rider’s helmet. Their eyes met. Surprise colored his features.

“Tatsu, stop!”

The car pulled over. Luka rolled to a stop outside her window. For a moment, they just stared at each other, eyes wide.

“Kagami,” he said breathlessly.

She climbed out of the car and thrust the letter at him. “Here.”

He opened it. As he read, something fluttered in her stomach.

He looked back up at her. “You didn’t have to do this.”

“Yes, I did. I told you I like to do things right. That means when I make a mistake, I want to fix it.”

Luka smiled. “I’d like to fix my mistake as well. I was actually on my way to your house. I, uh, brought something for you too.”

He opened the container on the back of his bike and pulled out a thin square box.

“Pizza?” Kagami asked.

“Yeah. I deliver them for work. And …” He pulled out two small bottles. “Marinette told me you like orange juice. Do you, um, want to go up on the bridge? We could talk for a bit. If you want.”

“Sure.”

Luka steered his bike onto the bridge while Kagami carried the pizza. They sat on a bench and ate in silence for a few minutes.

“Kagami?”

“Yes?”

“I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean those things I said.”

She lowered her bottle. “Why would you say something if you don’t mean it?”

Luka sighed. “To be honest, I’ve never been very good with words. I express myself a lot better with music.”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

He offered a smile. “Music always makes sense to me. I could show you sometime, if you like.”

“Maybe.”

For a minute, they said nothing.

“I listened to Jagged Stone’s new album today,” Kagami said finally.

“Oh? What did you think?”

“It’s … loud. And all the songs sound the same to me. And too many of them are about crocodiles.”

Luka chuckled. “Fair enough. You don’t have to like Jagged Stone. Friends don’t always have to agree, right?”

The fluttering in her stomach was back. _Friends_.

She looked down at the pizza on her plate. “I’m sorry I called you a blue-haired rock-star wannabe.”

He laughed again. “Well, you weren’t wrong about the blue hair part. Or the rock part. And you were right about something else too.”

“What’s that?”

“You said I barely even knew you. And you’re right. I don’t. But … I’d like to get to know you better. If that’s okay.”

She smiled. “I’d like that too.”

“I’m sorry about all the things I said. And I’m especially sorry for the ice-cream thing. You and Adrien seem great together. I was just trying to make a joke. But … I’ve never been great with jokes.”

“I’m not good with jokes either. My mother never jokes.”

His voice was quiet as he gazed out at the water. “I haven’t always been so great with friends, either.”

“Me neither,” Kagami admitted. “Actually, this is the first time I’ve even had friends. There’s a lot I’m still learning.”

“Maybe we can learn together.”

He turned back to her, wearing that tiny smile again. Before, she’d found it irritating, but now it seemed nice.

She smiled back. “Okay.”

The pizza was cold now, but Kagami didn’t mind. She watched a young couple place a lock on the bridge and throw the key into the river. They probably thought that meant they’d be in love forever. Maybe they’d chase down André now to seal the deal with his “magical” ice cream.

She would never understand these strange beliefs about love. Didn’t they know that it was up to them, not fate? Maybe some people really were made for each other, but it would still take effort to make it work. Love wasn’t magic. It was a choice.

She took another bite of pizza and chased it down with a gulp of juice. “So, if mint and orange is a strange match, what does that make pizza and orange?”

Luka laughed. “Definitely unusual. But sometimes the most unlikely pairs are the best ones, don’t you think?”

His smile was gentle. She felt something soft and warm sink into her chest, like a bird settling into its nest.

“Yes. I think so too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Once again, you can download the Kagami Zine [HERE](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aJfIwyavHpEYpdXzgmnhHw5GSEibHAiX/view)!
> 
> And please reblog JV's beautiful art [HERE](https://15megapixels-mlb.tumblr.com/post/631191150115651584/15megapixels-here-are-my-pieces-for-the).


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